2.0 Introduction
2.1.10 Onomastics
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‗word‘ carries meaning even though the term is ambiguous in everyday English. For Lyons (1984), the connection between the words, then, arbitrariness of this kind has both advantages and disadvantages. Although it makes the system more flexible and adaptable, it also makes it difficult and laborious to learn. It is Chomsky‘s (1965) view that human beings are genetically endowed with knowledge of the alleged arbitrary general principles, which determine the grammatical (word) structure of all languages.
As Stevick (1976) put it, that by speech we design great bridges and fight wars, we express our deep feelings and our spiritual aspirations and even set forth our most subtle linguistic themes. Indeed, we normally expect to influence ones thinking and the greatest light upon it is thrown by the study of language and more specifically the lexical choices (KPP names) made. Proper definition and interpretation of what is said is important in socializing a person linguistically and individually to be able to participate effectively in development activities and other changes around him for his own benefit and the community as a whole. A question then arises, ―Can one, at least initially go about a job without reference to the ways in which words are used?‖
Strawson (in Snook 1972:163) answers when he says ―the reliance upon a close examination of actual use of words is the best, and indeed the only sure way in philosophy‖ and language (own addition). To this end, examining the KPP names, slogans and symbols, called for a detailed semantic analysis and a proper interpretation of the research data.
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Malande (2012, 2011 & 2006), Batoma (2009), Légere (2008 & 2004), Agyekum (2006), Guma (2001), etc. have largely looked at people, plant and place names.
Bright (2003), defines Onomastics, as the study of proper names, that has been of concern to many branches of scholarship, including philosophy and history. Bright applied the viewpoints of anthropological linguistics, to study personal names and place names among North American Indians. He raised questions as to whether terms which embody a description can be considered proper names. Grammatical peculiarities of place names were also considered, and examples were given from Karuk (California), Creek (Oklahoma), and Nahuatl (Mexico). However, when one reads his discussion of place name origins, one finds the persistent bit of folklore that the meaning of words is, on some essential level, to be found in their histories, rather than in their use. This missing socio-functional component of naming is aptly examined and covered in this KPP Thesis.
Bussmann (1996) defines onomastics as the scientific investigation of the origin, the meaning, and geographical distribution of names. He looks at the Onamastics sub- disciplines such as Anthroponymy (study of personal names), Hydronymy (study of names of bodies of water), and Typonymy (study of geographical place-names), among the oldest and most transparent linguistic forms, that are an important source of hypothesis about the history of language, dialect, geography and language families. He looks at names as a semantically defined class of nouns that unequivocally identifies objects and states of affairs within a given context.
However, he leaves it open to debate on whether proper names have meaning and how they differ from generic names and (definite) descriptions. While this research agrees in principle with his views on categorizing nouns dependent on use-context, it
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goes further to explain how such nouns-KPP names may be structurally manipulated to achieve desirable political goals.
Malande (2011 and 2006) observes that names have got meanings that can be studied both denotatively and connotatively and that some names have positive and or negative attributes. He further presents a sense relation framework amongst some Lulogooli personal names. Malande credits several factors for name formation namely: history, human or made activities, natural occurrences-seasons, and lastly morpho-semantics-the interplay between semantics and morphology. He posits that morphology builds the personal name on which semantics confers a socially negotiated meaning. Such name formation processes aren‘t deliberate since most names are passed-on from one generation to another. His study exercised The Generative Morphology and semiotics theories in name formation. Malande (2006) proposed further research on non-agglutinative names and in cases where name formation is done without considering genealogies/inheritance. Whereas Malande looked at Lulogooli personal names, this research studied Vernacular, English and Kiswahili KPP names, their symbols, their colours and their slogans. How these tools are linguistically manipulated by politicians in order to rally masses is also under study hence filling the Malande (2006) gap.
Pine (1965) suggests that surnames fall into four classes namely patronymics, place names, occupation and nicknames. He advocates for a systematic and scientific study of the subject. Camden (1870) divided names into Christian names, allusions, rebus or name - devices and anagrams. The study of Christian names does not have a considerable bearing on the meaning of patronymic surnames. Much of his work on
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surnames has lasted to this day, but in some instances he relied on a critical acceptance of the legendry meaning of a name.
The study of Christian names is very important in dealing with KPP. The book on the subject is ‗The Oxford Dictionary English of Christian Names‖, compiled by E.G WithyCombe (1945). The book documents a thousand Christian names. Bussmann (1996) defines Onamastics as the scientific investigation of the origin (development, age, and etymology), the meaning, and geographical distribution of names. He looks at the Onamastics sub-disciplines such as Anthroponymy (study of personal names), Hydronymy (study of names of bodies of water), and Typonymy (study of geographical place-names), among the oldest and most transparent linguistic forms, that are an important source of hypothesis about the history of language, dialect, geography and language families. He looks at names as a semantically defined class of nouns that unequivocally identifies objects and states of affairs within a given context. However, he leaves it open to debate on whether proper names have meaning and how they differ from generic names and (definite) descriptions.
According to Cruse (1985:145) in his article on semantics, since we can use language to talk about things in the world around us, there is obviously a connection of some sort between words (names) or expressions and things they can be used to refer to (name).
Equally obvious is the fact that there is some kind of mental conception of things in our world and that they are linked both to the words in a language and to the things themselves. The meaning of a word is the concept of the image associated with it.
Hence, many words (names) have power to evoke images and feelings in a hearer beyond what is directly sanctioned by the descriptive and/or expressive meaning.
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This study investigates, apart from denotative meaning of selected connotative meaning if any.
In agreement with Cruse, Crystal (1994:114) presents a study on place names and personal names (onomastics). By use of toponomastics/ anthroponymy (study of personal names) and typonymy (study of place names); he looks at a name as a word or a phrase that identifies a specific person, place or something. We see the entity as an individual and not a member of a class: Kilimanjaro, for example, is a unique name (proper noun) whereas mountain refers to a whole class of objects (a common noun). Thus, the names people give to their surroundings, provides unique information about a society‘s beliefs, history, and values. There are so many aspects of a country‘s development that achieve linguistic recognition in its place names.
Although, a Crystal‘s study on Tektonymy and patronymics in Britain, China, German, Russia and Arab world is an excellent read, his view that the origin of a name is of little value in the study of naming trends is contestable because from the study origin of a name depends on naming.
The meaning of names is ―as old as humanity itself‖. Adam, the first biblical man, is recorded by New International Version Bible (1984) as having given or assigned names to animals, beasts and vegetation. He went ahead to assign name ―woman‖ to Eve his companion. ‗Woman‘ simply means ‗created out of man.‖ The NIV (1984:239) classifies prominent Bible characters, complete with the meaning of their names. Examples:-
a) ‗Enoch‘ means ‗dedicated‘ – the man who walked with God.
b) ‗Abraham‘ means ‗father of the multitude‘.
c) ‗Isaac‘ means, ‗laughter‘ – the long looked for son.
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d) ‗Deborah‘ means a ‗bee‘, the patriotic woman.
Karl Auerbach (Cavebear.com), while writing on thoughts on Internet naming systems states that there is proof of successful parallel global name spaces even though communities often establish their own naming spaces. Therefore global correlation in names is possible. He gives an example of ‗Rose‘, which can be realized in Spanish, French, Japanese, and German etc. and so on as rose, roes, Rosa, Rosas‘ respectively. Auerbach believes that every name must attain either universal validity or universal invalidity i.e. if it should be accepted by its day -to -day users before it is fully admitted as a personal name.
Fromkin (1988:187) thought that words other than proper names have meaning which can be used to refer to objects. The German philosopher and Mathematician Gottlob Frege made a distinction between reference of a word, which is the object designated, and the sense of the word, which is the additional meaning. ―Giving names to things is an act that often reveals linguistic creativity although naming children is more conventional and language provides a stock of personal names‖
(Fromkin, 1988:187).
Naming is part of a people‘s culture and cultural texts do not have literal (denotative) meanings only. To this end Billington (1991) states that language is a system of a code of signs, a sign for something, which stands for–a symbol of something else.
For signs to be recognized, a group must share their meaning because the connections between the signs and objects and ideas, which they signify, are arbitrary.
In expressing a case for a study of Bantu (African) languages, Finnegan (1983) suggests that a detailed study and knowledge of a particular language may serve to
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illustrate better than mere assertion the kinds of factors that can be involved in the constant interplay in many African languages in its linguistic and literary features.
For an account meaning of words having dissimilar parts, Putnam (1975) proposed that it has three parts, but with the notion that, it is part structural and part experimental.
Mbiti (1999) observes that nearly all African names have a meaning which corresponds to family names (ties), seasons, days of the week, time of the day, natural phenomena etc. and so on. Shillington (1995) states that even names of languages have meanings and are symbolic, the name ‗Swahili‘ means literary
‗people of the coast‘, ‗Bantu‘ simply means ‗person‘ etc. and so on. The Dictionary of First Names (2004) gives a comprehensive list in easy to use A–Z order of over 3,000 names of boys and girls. The book provides a comprehensive list of names from around the world, with their derivations and meanings to help one make a right choice. ―The choice of a right name for a new baby is an important one a child‘s life can be made miserable by an inappropriate or misapplied name‖ Geddes (2004). By applying the literature reviewed above, this study established that KPP names, symbols, slogans and colours have both denotative and connotative-associative meanings.